Yes, I’m playing catch-up again. It’s a never-ending battle, eh?
Anyway…
I’m pleased to note that a short story of mine is in a very cool bundle of “Fantasy in the City.” It’s a great collection of urban fantasy work that ranges from sweet and light-hearted to quite deep and moody. And the authors–wow. Inside you’ll find several of my favorites (and I mean exactly that). I can’t tell you how great it is to be with these folks.
My story is “Learning the Language.” Look for notes about it below the poster board that follows.
If you’ve looked at bundles before, you know the deal. Get 8 stories for $2.99, but pay at least $3.99 and unlock all the rest. You can download the stories in whatever format you want.
“Learning the Language” holds an important place in my heart.
I wrote this story some years back, before I had sold anything at all, actually. I had to send something to a workshop at a science fiction convention, so this is what I wrote. I knew I liked it. I knew it was good in a dangerous kind of way. Dennis McKiernan and Tim Waggoner were running the workshop, and the very kind and enthusiastic confirmation was exactly what I needed at the time. I left that workshop thinking I might actually be able to do this. Hence I’ve dedicated this edition of the story to them.
It’s a strange tale. I remember Lisa (my wife and copy editor) said she read it with one hand over the manuscript to make sure she didn’t see how what was coming next. One of the very kind reviews my collection “Picasso’s Cat & Other Stories” received said “one of the great things about science fiction is latitude, and Collins explores a whole new dimension in the surreal story “Learning the Language.” So, yes, the piece was different. Different enough that it would its way over the desks of several editors before landing in the Land/Space anthology published by Candace Dorsey and Judy McCrosky–which I have to say was a perfect place for it.
So, yeah, I’m quite stoked to see it in this bundle.
I hope you like it.